looking for a new reel for my cranking rod, powell 705cb glass rod. im stuck between the daiwa lexa 100p 4.9:1. or the lews lazer mg 5.4.1. Which would you choose?

The daiwa for sure!! I like lews reels but the Lazer was a big disappointment for me.The graphite frame on the Lazer has way too much flex. The Lexa has an aluminum frame.

I wish tackle warehouse still had more right hand lexas on sale, I'd pick a few up for that price!

Lexa has an aluminum frame..nuff said

i was leaning toward the lexa because of the aluminum frame but just wanted some others opinions, thanks guys!

The lexa, and it's not even close.

I love my lexas

Laser MG is not good at all.... def worth it to upgrade by 20$ to the reg. speed spool

I know that low speed is the thing to do for cranking big plugs and swimbaits. I jumped on that bandwagon and quickly learned the pitfalls of a slow reel and essentially ended up hating it. Cannot say anything about either of those reels but If I could do it all over again i would stay away from the 4.X:1 retrieves. They only time I even think about using that slow of a reel is when I am throwing a 5XD or larger and even with the 5XD size i find myself wanting more speed to get the bait down quicker. The fatigue I incur from casting those puppies far outweighs any fatigue I have ever experienced reeling them. Are you going to throw big plugs on that 7' rod? You probably aren't going to get the distance you want out of that rod so it may be better to go with a 5.X:1 or 6.X:1 speed reel to get the bait down quicker. Just take this into consideration as its always better to learn from other peoples mistakes.

I made a rule for myself after my last cheap Lew's reel purchase. I will not buy a Lew's reel that retails for less than $99.99.